The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1887-06-30
MEADOWS AND swAMPs.
Cultivation Necessary to Bring Them Into
n TulabIe State.

. TIllable State.
There ara vast tracts of meadow
lands in nearly every section of the
country, which, with a little cultiva-
ton could be brought into a tillablc
state. The lowlands ON farms are
sma l meadows. or, at least, the condi-
ton of the soil is the same a found in
meadow bottoms. Every farmer knows
that the great difficulty in c~ultivating
such lands arises from the abundance
of water which at all seasons Of the
year s~aturates the soil. Bnt by a judi
cious system of drainage this difficulty
can easily be overcome, and the land
converted into good grass-fields. pro-
ducing an abundance of this profitable
crop. The second year after the land
is drained. the grass should not be
moved off, but the whole field burned
over rs clean as possible. The ashes
left or the top soil will enrich it with
the ingredients of plant food that are
most needed, and the coarse stalks of
the meadow grass will be destroyed.
If the land is then turned over with
the pillow, and timothy-seed sown, the
soil will be in a fair way to produce
paying crops of hay in a short time.
The timothy-seed should be sown quite
thick, six quarts to the acre, the farmer
going back and forth several times, in
order to plant it in every nook and
~crevice.
When the meadow is a swamp, full
of largo and small trees, the work of
retaining it is more difficult. After
thetrees and bushes have been cut
down, and the brushwood burned. the
labor of cleaning the land has just be-
gun. The stumps and roots of trees
are the most difficult distractions that
you have to encounter. The larger
stumps are easily blown out by dyna-
mite, or extracted with strong stump
pullers, but the long roots and under
ground branches which run and twist
in every conceivable direction will be
the most aggravating. The land is too
rough to use a pillow. and it would be
impossible to go yer the field and dig
out al distractions with some sharp
implement. The best plan is to con-
struct a rude instrument out of an old
tree. which can be done with but little
cost and labor. Take an old crotch of
a tree, half a foot in diameter, with
each prong five or six feet in length.
Nail a cross piece to the two ends of
the crotch, and insert strong iron teeth
all along the two prongs of the crotch,
taking care not to place them too close
together, nor putting any in the cross
piece. If teeth arc placed in the cross
piece they will be liable to catch and
cling to the rough roots, and cause con-
siderable extra labor, and even break
tho rude harrow. To make the rude
instrument more effective, it would be
well to bend a strong oak or hickory
bow across the hind ends of the har-
row, so that the instrument could be
lifted yer large distractions, or press
cd deeper into the soil when occasion
required. If this instrument is drawn
across the field, backward and for
ward, very few of the deep roots will
escape the sharp teeth, which will cut
them in two, and bring them nearer to
| the surface.
When the field has been narrowed
sufficiently, the stones and roots that
have been thrown up should be carried
off the field and the whole cleaned mp
as neatly as possible. Large roots that
have been brought to the surface but
not broken by the teeth of the harrow.
owing to their size, should be cut in
two by an x or some other sharp im-
plement. Small stumps that escaped
your eye at first will be brought to
light, which must be extracted in some
way before the harrow is put on the
land again. The teeth of the harrow
will need strengthening by this time.
and probably new one put in. Har-
rowing the field the second time will
not be such difficult work as the first.
There will be less instructions to over
come, and the roots will all be finer
and easier broken by the teeth. When
finished repeat as before-remove all
stones and sticks with the hands.
Usually farmers have one or more
old plows on the place, which can be
used very conveniently in turning over
the top soil of the swamp land. The
work of blowing must necessarily be
very slow and laborious, and the veal
and tear on the instrument will be SC
great that the pillow will be of little
use when it is laid aside. The furrow.
can not all be in a straight line; it would
be impossible to attempt to do that,
and many 60 SO far as to pillow any
way, cross-wise, straight and angular
So long as the land is turned over, ant
the soil ~pulverized for several inches
or q foot down. the work is sufficient
Timothy seed scattered Owe the
field thus worked will catch very well
The stalks will grow strong and hardy
and choke put all weeds. The first yea
the yield will be quite large but i
would be unwise policy to put a ma
chine in the field. If any thing is t.
be done with the grass, turn a few cat
tie into the lots and let them Craze OF
it. If too many are not turned lose il
the field, they will not rob the new
land of the plant life which the decom
posed grass is intended to form for it
and their hoofs will serve to cut up tn,
roots still left in the soil. Their ma
nure will also be beneficial to the land
The second year you can be sure of
good. full crop of hay, one of the bes
paying crops in America, for next Il
grain hay ranks second in Importance
among crops raised in the United States
Geo. E. Walsh, in Western PloUman
"A hen, half black Spanish ant
half game, has been doing a land of
fee business in Rolia, Mo. She lait
her first egg ON the 10th of May, 1886
and has continued to lay an egg ever,
day since. She went to setting as 500
as she layed her first egg. and is still
on her nest. She comes off ever,
morning to get water and food, ant
then goes back, She has Matched on